Memoir | Newspapers | Part VI of VI

I was working with Paul Miller, a desk officer who asked me to be his office secretary in the new bureau where he was promoted to work at once. He moved swiftly to ensure that I was approved to work with him. The Department of Prominence’s Human Resources Office re-assigned me to move forward in my new position with Miller. In this bureau, I met several office secretaries.

There was one quirky secretary who was the most memorable.

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On my first day at the new office, I immediately started sanitizing and making my desk area comfortable with familiar things. Lastly, I tune into my desk computer’s internet Classical WETA FM radio station. The volume was down low, so only I could hear it.

My work area was comfortable, sterile, and clutter-free.

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Miller’s desk was directly in front of mine. He was a good-looking man, tall, slender, and with blonde hair. I wanted him. His office entrance doors were in a Barn style with tinted sliding doors that he could close when he needed privacy.

I wondered if he knew I liked him. Maybe he did. I do not know. I still wonder why he selected me to work with him.

Outside of Miller’s office was a small desk that I laid his daily newspapers and magazines on. The newspapers were the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, and Time Magazine.

Economist magazine was my favorite source of global news.

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We both were set up to start work immediately; so, I began to study the bureau’s organization chart, its offices, and learn the names of the other office’s secretaries.

As time went on, the offices’ secretaries, who were all women, dropped by to welcome me or for work-related matters. The most unusual question these women asked me was, “Did you meet Valentina?” My reply was always, “No, I have not met her yet.”

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Finally, Valentina dropped by my office! She was dressed professionally and seemed timid. After we exchanged pleasantries with each other, she asked if Miller had finished reading his Washington Post newspaper. I told her yes and asked her why.

Valentina asked if she could read Miller’s Washington Post newspaper. I gave her permission to take his newspaper and to please return it before 5:00 PM. She took the newspaper and departed. I assumed she would bring the newspaper back before the end of the day, but she did not.

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Before I departed the office at the end of the workday, I went to Valentina’s office to retrieve the Washington Post newspaper. Miller wanted to clip a news article from it that was related to his work.

Valentina’s office was three doors down from mine. I entered her office, and her desk is the first desk you will see on the right as you enter her office.

When I walked into her office, I was shocked by the vision in front of my eyes!

Valentina was an office newspaper hoarder! Newspapers were piled up in front of her desk. Her L-shaped desk was a mass of cluttered newspapers from one end to the other. There were newspapers stuffed under her desk. All along the walls behind her desk were newspapers rising upward on the wall. Newspapers were piling up on a filing container.

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Miller’s poor newspaper was trapped in Valentina’s hoarding nightmare!

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Just before I retired, the Trump Administration started making it easy for supervisors to fire government employees. So, Valentina’s new supervisor started monthly counseling sessions and noted her employee evaluation report throughout the months instead of once a year, when the employee report was due.

When I made my rounds to bid a final farewell to colleagues, I stopped by Valentina’s office to say goodbye. Her desk, walls, and floor no longer had massive piles of newspapers. I guess that monthly counseling worked!

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(Copyright © 2025 by Mia Z. Edwards. All rights reserved.)